If I Need Help Tags Provide Life Saving Information For People With Autism

Posted in How To, ICE Contacts by Laura Greenwald

This week we’re honored to have a guest post from Erin Wilson, founder of the non-profit organization If I Need Help and creator of an entire line of If I Need Help wearable QR codes for people with Autism. Here’s Erin’s story…

My son Jay who has severe Autism was lost at school before and another time at an amusement park. Thankfully, he was quickly found. Studies report that wandering is the only cause of death due to Autism and that roughly half of people who have Autism wander from safe places. The majority being people who have low or nonverbal ability. My husband and I wanted to create a way to let people who see our son if he is lost to know that he is a person who needs help and then tell them how to help him. So we started a Non Profit named If I Need Help making personal wearable QR codes, when scanned or manually entered it links to a live profile that can be edited in real time. The code can be printed out with the free membership. Also the Emergency Q&A can be filled in at the Caregiver’s leisure and emailed to first responders during a crisis.

If I Need Help QR Codes Help People With Autism

We offer many different ways to wear the code: patches, pins, clips, keychains, custom iD tags for shoes or necklaces, seat belt alerts and ID cards. Custom Temporary tats will be out soon. This way of identification and information is now also helping people with mental illness, memory care or with physical conditions in which they may need help during critical situations. Please go to IfiNeedHelp.org to learn more.

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Introducing… The ICE My Phone Kit!

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17Feb2016

Mobile App Helps Emergency Personnel Treat Patients With Autism

Posted in How To, ICE Contacts by Laura Greenwald

Updated On 3/2/21

ICE4Autism provides person-specific, actionable information for quicker more efficient and effective treatment of individuals with ASD

The successful outcome of any interaction between a subject/casualty and first responders depends, along with other variables, on the emergency response team’s rapid access to critical details about the individual right inside their Galaxy or iPhone. This is particularly true when the person has a unique set of needs about which the first responders may be unaware – such as those associated with autism.

Emergency response personnel are tasked with responding to ALL calls, including those involving individuals with special needs. They are expected to respond not only professionally but compassionately, an expectation that implies a seemingly allusive understanding of person-specific needs and sensitivities.

AUTISM

The Centers for Disease Control describes Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as: “developmental disabilities that cause substantial impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of unusual behaviors and interests”. Autism is a ‘spectrum disorder’ that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees meaning that no two people with autism are alike. Furthermore, the prevalence of autism is not affected by race, region, or socio-economic status.

Individuals with an ASD often suffer from additional co-morbid diagnoses which may include: allergies, asthma, epilepsy, digestive disorders, persistent viral infections, feeding disorders, sensory integration dysfunction, sleeping disorders, and more. And, in contrast to physical disabilities, in many cases without explicit knowledge or information, an onlooker will have no idea that a person has autism — and it is, therefore, often referred to as an “invisible disability”.

Since autism was first diagnosed in the U.S. its incidence has climbed from one in 10,000 to one in 68 children making it the country’s single fastest growing developmental disability. As children with autism grow up, they do not “outgrow” their autism, but rather develop, to varying degrees, an array of skills to cope with their unique communication, social and behavioral differences.

FIRST RESPONDERS AND AUTISM

Current statistics estimate that over the next 10 years half a million teens with autism will transition into adulthood. Furthermore, research has shown that individuals with autism are seven to 10 times more likely than their neurotypical peers to interact with first responders. Therefore the probability of interactions between emergency response personnel and those with autism increases with each passing day.

What does this mean in practical terms? Let us consider the following scenario:

A 9-1-1 call comes in that a young adult, 6 foot tall, 250 lb male has been involved in a vehicle vs. pedestrian accident. He is conscious but not responding to the good Samaritans’ questions.

When the first responders arrive, they start by asking the young man his name… no response. They ask him if he is in pain…No response. He becomes agitated and starts flapping his hands rapidly and repetitively.

Has the young man not heard the questions? Does he not understand English? Has the crash caused head trauma resulting in disorientation? Perhaps he is diabetic and low blood sugar is causing his confusion?

What should the first responders do? In the worst case scenario, they are left to guess, make assumptions and precede based on standard operating procedures that may, or may not, be the best course of treatment. Or, in the best case scenario, they have easy and efficient access to the information about the young man that would help them understand his needs and treat him properly.

THE ICE CONCEPT

The “ICE” — In Case of Emergency – concept is the brain-child of Bob Brotchie, a former senior paramedic and current psychotherapy counsellor. A combination of Bob’s professional experience and his own emergency incident, led to his “lightbulb” moment: a uniform method adopted by both the public and first responders for providing and accessing emergency contact information in case of emergency – ICE. The goal was for people to enter their emergency contact(s) information into their mobile phones using the ICE preface thereby informing first responders who to contact.

In 2005, only a few months after Bob first conceived of the idea, ICE went viral. It got the attention of both the general public and of the first responder community. As time passed and mobile technology evolved, so did the use and implementation of ICE on mobile devices. The public’s reliance on smartphones, along with their becoming an essential accessory to be kept on-hand at all times, yielded an array of ICE mobile apps. This 21^st century implementation of the ICE concept broadened its capability and value: in addition to emergency contact information, many of the apps also store a variety of medical history, medications, allergy, insurance and other details that can help first responders in their assessment and treatment of injured, confused or unconscious patients.

Historically, first responders have looked for a wallet card or document in a subject’s wallet; now, with the advent of ICE apps, they have an additional potential resource on the person’s smartphone.

AUTISM, ICE4Autism AND THE EMERGENCY SITUATION

Easy and efficient access to specific information about an autistic person’s communication challenges and needs, their unique behaviors and triggers, sensitivities, allergies, medical information and their emergency contacts can dramatically improve the outcome of any emergency response interaction. ICE4Autism – the only autism-specific in case of emergency (ICE) mobile app – gives people on the spectrum and first responders a practical solution they’ve never had before. Instead of relying on efforts to directly communicate with the person – who may be unconscious, altered and/or have communication challenges – first responders can use ICE4Autism to quickly obtain the person-specific, actionable information they need to treat the individual appropriately.

Returning to our scenario, the ICE4Autism app could inform the responders that yes, in fact, the young man had heard their questions and did understand English, but that he needed a bit more time to process the questions and to respond. They might also learn that no, he does not have diabetes, but that he does have sensory integration dysfunction making the sirens and/or bright lights a contributing factor to his agitation and difficulty focusing. They may be informed that the repetitive hand flapping is a calming mechanism he implements and that they should allow him to continue unless there is a critical reason to make him stop. The app would also tell them how to contact the people who (most likely) know him best, can help with additional information, treatment decisions and, most importantly, can come to his side and provide him with the love and support that everyone needs and benefits from in an emergency.

CONCLUSION

To overcome the unique challenges presented by the increasing incidence of interactions between the first responder and autism communities, both parties benefit from the exploitation of newly-available 21^st century tools. The broad utilization of the ICE4Autism mobile app throughout the autism community will enhance first responders’ abilities to provide needs-aware and person-specific care thereby improving outcomes and quality of care.

Emergency personnel have lauded ICE4Autism for its ease-of-use, practicality and innovation. Individuals on the spectrum have expressed their appreciation for app’s elimination of generalizations and assumptions about people with autism by enabling each person to include his/her unique and specific information. And, in awarding ICE4Autism the “Best of ICE” designation, Bob Brotchie, founder of the ICE concept, described the app as: Affordable, intuitive, respectful – and most of all – of value. ICE4Autism is a game-changer for anyone who has the potential to experience difficulties communicating their needs in the emergency scenario.”

Both first responders and members of the autism community should leverage new technologies and forward-thinking solutions to improve the outcomes of their inevitable interactions with each other. The integration of such tools will enhance the quality of care individuals with autism receive and the ability of first responders to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.

MORE INFORMATION:

On the Web: www.ICE4Autism.com

On the App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/app/ice4autism/id969601780?mt=8

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ice4autism/

On Twitter: @ICE4Autism (https://twitter.com/ICE4Autism)

Wanda Refaely, Founder & Chief ICE Cube:

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At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter

What if I told you, there was something you have with you right now, that can give you the support, information & ability you need to keep everyone and everything you love safe and sound, PLUS the power to gather your family in seconds no matter where they are. What is it? It’s your smartphone! At Your Fingertips is an easy to read, easy to use guide that turns your smartphone into your very own life preserver. Paperback Or Instant Download

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3Sep2015

How To Turn Your Smartphone Into A Life Preserver

Posted in How To, ICE Contacts, Life Hacks, The Backup Plan by Laura Greenwald

How To Turn Your Smartphone Into A Life Preserver in 1 Easy Step…

Buy Paperback Edition $14.99 Buy Downloadable Edition $5

Did you know your smartphone can save your life? It can also save your spouse’s life, your kid’s lives and the lives of everyone you love!

The secret is letting your phone do the talking for you in an emergency.

How?

By taking a couple of minutes to ICE it, with your in case of emergency contact. And it’s even better when you add an emergency wallet card, medical information forms and a plan for tracking down & gathering every member of even the busiest of families, in five minutes flat. All of which you’ll find in the ICE My Phone Kit.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves… First things first.

So, what is an ICE Contact?

During the London Bombings and Hurricane Katrina, so many people were injured and separated from their families that a London paramedic named Bob Brotchie came up with the idea of telling people to put an iCE – In Case of Emergency – contact on their cell phones. Now, hospitals worldwide, check patient’s phones for their iCE contact, to locate their next of kin.

Why is it important to have one?

The most important reason every member of your family should have an ICE Contact on his or her phone, is because you can’t be everywhere, all the time.

There’s always one person in every family who keeps everyone else going. The person who can recite every illness and prescription drug his or her kids, spouse and dogs have ever had. Since you’re the one who’s reading this article, I’m going to take a wild guess — it’s probably you.

But when your family is at work, or school or at different activities all over town there’s NO way that you can be with them every second of every day. But you CAN tuck all of that information into an ICE Contact on their cell phone, so a doctor or an emergency room can use it to take care of them, until you get there.

Every year more than one million people enter the ER unconscious or unable to give the hospital their vital information. On average it takes hospitals over 6 hours to find a patient’s vital information, and that’s if they have the patient’s name. But when you have an ICE Contact on your cell phone and an emergency card in your wallet, you’re not only giving them all the info they need to contact the people you love, you’re also giving them all the information they need to treat you with your specific medical needs in mind.

So What Is The ICE My Phone Kit?

The ICE My Phone Kit is an easy to read, easy to use guide that contains everything you need to turn your smartphone into your family’s very own life preserver. In it you’ll learn…

How to put an ICE Contact on every major type of phone, the right way. And it only takes a couple of minutes
What information you need to put in your family’s ICE Contacts, so doctors can start giving them the right kind of treatment before you even get to the hospital
How to create ICE Contacts that work even if you password protect your phone
Learn how to create a Family Emergency Plan and how to track down & gather every member of even the busiest of families, in five minutes flat.
It also contains free downloadable medical information forms, family gathering/evacuation plan and emergency wallet cards you can use for each member of the family.
Comes with ICE Graphics you can place on your phone to make your ICE Contact stand out
And most importantly, you’ll learn how to turn your phone into a mobile command center – or if you’d rather, your very own Bat Phone.

The Backup Plan ICE My Phone Kit, now in paperback. Only $14.99 at Amazon.com Downloadable PDF Edition $5.00 Buy Now Grab your copies today.

We also offer bulk discounts and customization for organizations, companies and schools. For large orders or customization click here to contact our sales team.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together! We’ll talk later…

Introducing… Connected

Introducing Connected

Purchase Connected @ Amazon.com

More Amazing Things You Can Do In 5 Minutes Or Less

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Connected | The Book Inspired By The Blog.

What if I told you, there was one thing that you own and probably have with you right now, that can give you the support, information & ability you need to keep everyone and everything you love safe and sound, PLUS the power to gather your family in seconds no matter where they are. What is it? It’s your smartphone! Introducing Connected, an easy to read, easy to use guide that gives you everything you need to turn your smartphone into your very own life preserver. Purchase Connected @ Amazon.com

3Jan2015